Province Leader Administration
“May you live justly, Love tenderly, And walk humbly with your God” (from the Prophet Micah 6:8)
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ince 1878 in South Australia and 1894 in Western Australia the Br Kevin P Ryan Congregation of Christian Province Leader Brothers has been conducting schools. While the Christian Brothers will continue to be involved in schools and other community based work throughout Australia and many other places in the world, from October 2007 the Congregation itself will no longer conduct or govern schools. The Congregation will continue to conduct other organisations in these two states and elsewhere in Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, East Timor and The Philippines. What will this mean for students, families and staff of our schools? Let me explore this a little. In 1802 a man called Edmund Rice, inspired by the Spirit of God, opened a school in a city called Waterford in Ireland. He wanted to provide education for the Catholic boys of Ireland who were not able to attend other schools in that country. He wished to help those boys ‘to be good Catholics and good citizens’. In conducting schools in Western Australia and South Australia the Christian Brothers, inspired by the same Spirit of God and the life and work of Edmund Rice, have been attempting to help young women and men to know and love God and to be able to have the skills, knowledge and values to live their lives in the
service of others in this country and elsewhere. This service was to be expressed in their families, their communities and in their work. Some have expressed their lives of service as Priests or as members of Religious Congregations in the Catholic Church. Over many years, many people who are not Christian Brothers have also been inspired by the Spirit of God and the life and work of Edmund Rice. Some of those have been students in our schools, families associated with the schools, staff members or leaders in our schools and others have been board members. Working alongside Christian Brothers, they have kept our schools true to the story of Edmund. The story is now moving on to the next chapter. The Congregation of Christian Brothers and other men and women throughout Australia are, we believe, responding again to the call of the Spirit. An organisation called Edmund Rice Education Australia is being established. This new organisation will take over the conduct or governance of the 39 schools which are now conducted by the Congregation all across the country, from Townsville to Hobart and from Hobart to Tardun! This does not mean that Christian Brothers will not work in schools, or be members of Boards, or work in the administration of Edmund Rice Education Australia, but the Congregation is handing over the responsibility of conducting the schools to Edmund Rice Education Australia.
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